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"Scary-Good Performance from a Piddly Little Box"

Audioengine's D1 24-Bit DAC allows you to bypass your computer's soundcard or headphone output and send audio through USB or optical. D1 is the perfect digital interface between your computer and music system and will improve the sound of all your music.

In his March 7, 2012 review for Playback, Steven Stone lauds the D1's "scary-good performance from a piddly little box… The Audioengine delivers a level of fidelity that only a couple of years ago was unthinkable for anything near its price."

"The D1 is one upgrade you're going to be able to immediately hear and appreciate," reports Clint DeBoer in his March 27, 2012 review for Audioholics.com.

"The Perfect Music Interface"

"The new D1 is the perfect music 'interface' between your computer and speakers or headphones," raves Steve Guttenberg in his CNET.com review for January 5, 2012. "Listening to Brubeck's live recordings over the A5+ speakers I was impressed with the degree of concert hall ambiance and spacious the D1 retrieved."

"The D1 is a fine performer with a well balanced and informative sound," notes England's What Hi-Fi? magazine. "It’s a refined sound without excess hardness, but with enough bite to satisfy."

"I would recommend feeding it anything and everything your music library and the big streaming service in the sky has to offer," suggests Michael Lavorgna in his January 24, 2012 review for AudioStream.com.

A Versatile Digital Performer

The D1 accepts inputs from both USB and digital optical and has analog outputs for any audio system or headphones. The D1 DAC is the perfect way to get great-sounding music not only from your computer but also from your TV, Apple TV, DVD/BluRay player, or CD player. And since it's powered by USB, D1 is also a high-quality portable computer headphone amplifier.

Designed for the Computer Audiophile

The D1 will process digital audio at any bit depth up to 24 bits and any sample rate to 192 kHz. With its high signal-to-noise ratio and low distortion, the D1 delivers sound quality generally heard only in more expensive DACs. The high-performance headphone output was designed for a wide range of headphones and will satisfy even the most demanding headphone enthusiasts.

Easy Setup

Setup is easy and no special software is needed, making D1 a true plug-and-play solution. The D1 outputs connect to any audio system or powered speakers, such as the Audioengine A5+ or A2. Power for the D1 is provided via the USB bus so there is no external power supply to connect.

See and Hear the Difference

Audioengine designers, with their attention to audio quality as well as visual aesthetics, have created a feast for both the eyes and ears. The rounded anodized aluminum case of the D1 reflects traditional Audioengine design and the audio fidelity is typical of Audioengine's commitment to great sound at an affordable price. The Audioengine D1 continues to close the gap between your computer music and home hi-fi and even if you're not an audio enthusiast we guarantee your music will sound better!

Audioengine D1 Premium 24 Bit USB DAC - Item # AUD1

Desktop or portable digital-to-analog convertor

Mac or PC plug-and-play, no drivers to install

High-performance headphone amp included

USB and optical inputs

USB-powered, no separate power supply needed

Stream bit-perfect 24/96 HD audio with low jitter

Based on high-performance AK4396 DAC

Included accessories: USB cable, 2ft; Setup Guide; Microfiber bag

Audioengine D1 Premium 24 Bit USB DAC - Item # AUD1

DAC type: Dual Mode USB and Optical (SPDIF)

Inputs: USB/Optical (SPDIF)

Outputs: RCA stereo/3.5mm headphone

D/A converter: AKM4396

Optical receiver: CS8416

USB controller: TI1020B

USB: Type 1.1 or above

Full-scale output: 2.0V RMS (RCA and Headphone)

Output impedance: 47 ohms RCA, 10 ohms headphone

Power source: USB 5V

Power requirements: 200mA

USB power filtering: 2-stage redundant regulation

SNR: >110db

THD+N: <0.002%

Crosstalk: Frequency response: 10Hz - 25KHz +/- 0.5db

Input bit depth: up to 24 bits

Input data rate: up to 192KS/s

Product dimensions: 3.5x4x1"

Shipping weight: 1.0lbs (0.5kg) Environmental:

Audioengine D1 Premium 24 Bit USB DAC - Item # AUD1

"The new D1 is the perfect music 'interface' between your computer and speakers or headphones."

"My old Dave Brubeck recordings from the 1960s amply demonstrated what the D1 was doing right, the pianist's touch and the subtlest dynamic shifts in tone were easy to hear. Listening to Brubeck's live recordings over the A5+ speakers I was impressed with the degree of concert hall ambiance and spacious the D1 retrieved."

- Steve Guttenberg, CNET.com, January 5, 2012

"Scary-good performance from a piddly little box."

"The Audioengine delivers a level of fidelity that only a couple of years ago was unthinkable for anything near its price. Along with great sound, the Audioengine also serves up a tasty feature set, all contained in a box only slightly larger than a pack of cigarettes."

- Steven Stone, Playback, March 7, 2012

"The D1 is one upgrade you're going to be able to immediately hear and appreciate."

- Clint DeBoer, Audioholics.com, March 27, 2012

"The D1 is a fine performer with a well balanced and informative sound… It’s a refined sound without excess hardness, but with enough bite to satisfy."

- What Hi-Fi? magazine

"I would recommend feeding it anything and everything your music library and the big streaming service in the sky has to offer."

"It is by no stretch thin-sounding which runs counter to a few audiophile theoretical cliches including price (cliche: inexpensive stuff sounds thin) and power supply (cliche: only stuff with beefy power supplies can offer phat bass)."

Purchased two of these for separate computers and they have a very nice sound. Work particularly well with streaming music with the Kbs of Pandora. Can get a little dark with more complex and higher Kbs material. Overall very pleased and this is definitely a real step up from the stock music processor in my laptop!

- Kevin K, PA

Impressed!

I bought this as a replacement for my PC sound card. I doubted I was spending enough to get the quality I desired. It worked! My powered speakers Paradigm Shifts benefited greatly from the improved quality. Im a happy camper. Sounds great with Itunes and JRiver software.
A couple of things: MP3 files are very convincing at extreme VBR settings, Apple Lossless sounds incredible, the annoying stutter from I tunes is gone, the headphone output is dynamic and nuanced, it benefits from quality cords, optical output is very good also. My PC is USB 1.0 but would definitely recommend USB 2.0 for best results.
Money well spent. Very satisfied after one month.

- Gary R, WI

Worth it!

I bought this unit in order to be able to enjoy proper playback from my Macbook Pro and a Sennheiser HD 580 regardless of where I am. After quick shipping from AA I plugged it in today and did some extensive listening. Initial impressions: Great sound stage, very defined and accurate imaging, pleasant yet not overly smooth open top end, controlled and unexaggerated bass. From reviews I have read before I would actually have expected it to be a little on the smooth end, but while not being harsh it still brings out some high-mid bite even on the rather mellow HD 580. I did not use the RCA out yet so I am not commenting on their quality. The unit also feels very well made and is exactly zero effort to install, plug in, choose as systems primary sound card, done. Verdict: great sound and construction for a reasonable price, more than worth it if youre listening from a portable sound source or a computer that is not yet equipped with any high quality converters and headphone amp.

- Johannes F, NY

Crazy Good

After about 30 hours this DAC literally wipes the floor with DACs Ive owned costing ten times as much. The fact it can be also used as a headphone amp makes it outrageous value for the money. I cant see why anyone would spend ten times or more when this baby is available for $169.00

- Dean S, INT

pull the veil back

I bought the D-1 along with a Parasound zamp v.3 to drive a 2.1 system. WOW, wonderful open sound, even from lower bit rate recordings. The D-1 replaced a Wadia-12, which was limited to 16 bits still sounds great though, and I noticed no loss making the switch, and a bit more revealing like a veil was pulled back I believe this may have to do with not having to reduce the bit rate prior to the DA.
The headphone output is great AKG 480sand very easy to listen to. The RCAs are variable knob, which was something I was unable to verify online, now you know.
Some people have mentioned clicks and pops, I have found that these appear to be software related and not the D-1. If I am running multiple programs while listening, I sometimes get the pops, this goes away with a re-launch of your player, a pain, but not the D-1s fault.
Overall, I am very happy with the sounds coming from my PC these days, and the D-1 is a big part of it.

- Douglas B, CA

DONT SAY A WORD, JUST LET YOUR EARS SAY IT...

IF YOU HAVE ALREADY OVER $1,000DAC, LISTEN AT A-B BASIS AND YOU WILL REALIZE THAT THE D1 IS A DIAMOND.
LET NO ONE PUT YOU IN LINE; THE D1 IS AN OUT-LAW. IT HAS EVERYTHING MANY EXPENSIVE DACs CANT DREAM OF.
I WOULDNT BUY MY 2 EXPENSIVE DACs IF THE D1 WAS EARLIER IN THE STORE.
THANKS YOU, AUDIOENGINE.